Matthew Ozawa is a stage director, artistic director and educator who has firmly cemented himself as one of the preeminent creative forces in the opera world today. Ozawa is a master storyteller, whose “strikingly spare productions” (New York Times) are “a vivid demonstration of what opera is all about” (Opera News). His productions consistently “deliver brilliance on all fronts” (Chicago Tribune) and are filled with “breathtaking imagery” (Broadway World). Ozawa is the Founder and Artistic Director of Mozawa, a Chicago-based incubator advancing collaborative art and artists. Also a proponent of arts education, Ozawa served three years as Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Michigan, School of Music, Theatre & Dance. In 2022, he was named the Chief Artistic Administration Officer of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, a newly created role that leverages Ozawa's expertise as both a creative and a leader in the arts. Passionate about collaborative interdisciplinary performance, new work, and reigniting classics, Ozawa’s “stylish” and “intelligent” productions have been seen at San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Carnegie Hall, and The Kennedy Center, among many others. In opera, Ozawa divides his time between directing classics, rarely performed works, world premieres, and musical theater. Recent productions of classic as well as rarely performed repertory include Orfeo (San Francisco Opera), Fidelio (San Francisco Opera), Madama Butterfly (Santa Fe Opera / Arizona Opera), Don Quichotte (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Romeo and Juliet (Minnesota Opera / Cincinnati Opera / Michigan Opera Theatre), Nabucco (Lyric Opera of Chicago), L'Opera Seria (Wolf Trap Opera), Le Nozze di Figaro (Opera Colorado / North Carolina Opera), Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Kentucky Opera), Arizona Lady (Arizona Opera), La Boheme (Opera Colorado / Opera North), and Les Mamelles de Tiresias / Le Pauvre Matelot (Wolf Trap Opera).

Karah Son graduated with a degree in voice performance at Yonsei University in her native city of Seoul, South Korea. She completed her musical education in Italy, graduating from the Vivaldi Music Conservatory in Novara and attending the Academy of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, under the guidance of Mirella Freni.   She has distinguished herself in numerous international competitions: first prize at the national competition organized by the Seoul-based newspaper Korea Joongang Daily; first prize at the “Vissi d’Arte” international competition in Milan; Special Soroptimist Prize at the Viotti International Music Competition in Vercelli, Italy; Premio Extraordinario at the Francisco Viñas international competition in Barcelona; and second prize at the Opéra de Marseille International Competition. In 2007, she also won the prestigious Nicolai Ghiaurov scholarship.   Karah made her professional debut in 1997 as the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro at the National Theater in Seoul. She went on to perform as Zerlina in Don Giovanni at the Teatro San Lorenzo in Milan; and as Mimì in La Bohème at the Teatro Cristallo in Bergamo, in Milan, and at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari. She has sung Liù in Turandot at the Teatro Filarmonico in Verona and Bologna, Italy; Nancy, France; and at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, Spain, conducted by Lorin Maazel.   Karah recently sang in Zandonai's Francesca da Rimini at the Opéra in Monte Carlo; Aida in South Korea and Halle, Germany; La Bohème in Sydney; Turandot in Melbourne; and Verdi’s Requiem in Seoul. She also sang the title role in Madama Butterfly at the Glyndebourne Festival and numerous cities in South Korea as well as in Tampere, Warsaw, Leipzig, Berlin (Deutsche Oper), Goteborg, Turin,  Dresden, Cardiff, Sydney, Warsaw, Turin, Kansas City, Stuttgart, Montpellier, Bologna, Angers, Nantes, and Rennes. She recently performed a series of concerts at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig.   Karah’s future performances include Madama Butterfly in San Francisco, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, and Copenhagen and Marina Abramovic’s 7 Deaths of Maria Callas at the English National Opera in London.

The “impassioned tenor” (Houston Press) Eric Taylor of St. George, UT is noted for the “exceptional quality of his tenor” (First Row). Eric is currently in his final season as a Studio Artist at Houston Grand Opera, where his roles include Narraboth in Salome, the Chevalier de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites, First Armored Man in Barrie Kosky’s production of Die Zauberflöte, and Benvolio in Romeo et Juliette, in addition to covering the title role of Werther and the role of Mark in The Wreckers. This summer, he will appear in the title role of Faust with Wolf Trap Opera. In the 2023-24 season, he will return to Houston Grand Opera to sing the role of B.F. Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, and will make his Detroit Opera debut in the same role and title.   Eric is an alumnus of the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Artist program, where in the summer of 2022 he appeared as Melot in Tristan und Isolde and covered the role of Don José in Carmen. He has also participated in apprenticeship programs at Central City Opera and Utah Lyric Opera. In 2017, Eric was a semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. In 2021, he placed second in the Eleanor McCollum Concert of Arias Competition, and 2023, he placed first in the Houston Saengerbund Competition.  

Mezzo-soprano Kristen Choi has been hailed by Opera News as a “powerhouse in the making” for her portrayal of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly. In 2022-2023, she returns to Opera Philadelphia in Toshio Hosokawa’s The Raven, makes her Lubbock Symphony and Detroit Opera debuts as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, joins the roster of The Metropolitan Opera as the Dimitri cover in Fedora, joins Opera Idaho in the role of Hiroko in An American Dream, returns to Opera Omaha as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro and joins Opera Delaware for a workshop of Derrick Wang’s Fearless as Mother. In the 2023 summer season, she will join the West Edge Opera as the Cook in Stravinsky’s Le rossignol. In 2023-2024, she will return to sing Suzuki with Opera Philadelphia, will join Virginia Opera and make two company debuts TBA in a traveling production of Madama Butterfly singing Suzuki, and make a return to Dallas Opera to sing the 2nd Maidservant in Elektra. During the 2021-2022 season, Ms. Choi made her Dallas Opera debut as the Stewardess in Flight, joined Opera Philadelphia in Rene Orth’s Tak Tak Shoo and as Maddalena in Rigoletto, returned to Washington National Opera as Phoung Tran in a workshop of The Rift by Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang, made her Dayton Philharmonic debut as the alto soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, and debuted at HALO as Annina in La traviata.

Panamanian-American baritone Nmon Ford’s recent international highlights include his exceptional performances in the title role Don Giovanni in the UK’s Dorset Festival Opera, and as Crown in the new Metropolitan Opera co-production of Porgy & Bess at English National Opera and later at Dutch National Opera. This season at ENO he joins the cast of Carmen as Escamillo, a role he later sings at Opera Colorado and at Calgary Opera, before travelling to Atlanta to sing the part of Jesus St Matthew Passion with ASO under Nathalie Stutzman. Nmon appears in the title role of his own piece, The House of Orpheus, at Opera Carolina. Past career highlights include Jochanaan Salome with Patricia Racette at Pittsburgh Opera, Don Pizzaro Fidelio with Christine Goerke at Cincinnati Opera, and in concert with Atlanta Symphony Iago Otello with Russell Thomas in the title role. Mr Ford sang often at Hamburg State Opera in Germany and appeared as Scarpia Tosca, Luna Il Trovatore, and title role Billy Budd under the baton of Simone Young. Other roles include Kurwenal Tristan und Isolde, Telramund Lohengrin, Amonasro Aida, Renato Un Ballo in Maschera, Posa Don Carlo, and Pere Germont La Traviata. Future engagements include Silvio I Pagliacci, High Priest Samson et Dalilah, a new production of The House of Orpheus at a major US theatre, and a revival of this production of Madama Butterfly in the role of Sharpless. MAY 2023

Versatile tenor Julius Ahn has delighted audiences around the world with his unique interpretations. Critics have hailed his signature role of Goro in Madama Butterfly: “As the marriage broker Goro, tenor Julius Ahn was in his element, delivering the wickedness of his character with gusto.” Julius has performed the role at San Francisco Opera as well as with the Canadian Opera Company, Palm Beach Opera, Vancouver Opera, Opera Carolina, Nashville Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Virginia Opera, and at the Royal Albert Hall in London. This season, Julius brings his renowned Goro to the San Francisco Opera, Atlanta Opera, Cincinnati Opera, New Orleans Opera, Detroit Opera, and Opera Philadelphia. He will also perform the role of Borsa in Rigoletto with the Dallas Opera, Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors with On Site Opera, and Mime in Das Rheingold with Atlanta Opera. He is thrilled to be reprising the lead role of Guang in Byron Au Yong and Aaron Jafferis’s Stuck Elevator for Nashville Opera. Last season, Julius returned to the Canadian Opera Company as Goro and the Metropolitan Opera for The Magic Flute (Second Priest). He also sang Spoletta in Cincinnati Opera’s Tosca, Gherardo in Tulsa Opera’s Gianni Schicchi, and Borsa in Opera Philadelphia’s Rigoletto.

Baritone Hyungjin Son, a native of South Korea, is an active opera, oratorio, and concert singer. Mr. Son has performed as The Bonze in Puccini's Madama Butterfly; Doristo in Vicente Martín y Soler's L'arbore di Diana; Don Alfonso in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte; Mr. Putnam in Jake Heggie's If I Were You; "Pa" Zegner in Missy Mazzoli's Proving Up;  and Sir Thomas in Jonathan Dove's Mansfield Park. He performed as a baritone soloist for Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem with the BU Symphony Orchestra at the Symphony Hall. As a studio artist at Aspen Music Festival, he covered the role of Ford in Verdi's Falstaff with international bass-baritone Bryn Terfel in the title role and covered the title role in  Mozart's Don Giovanni as well. He was named an Encouragement Winner in 2020 and a District Winner in 2022 in the Boston district of Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and he was named on the national semi-finalist of Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. He is pursuing a Master's Degree at New England Conservatory under the tutelage of Bradley Williams. He holds a Bachelor's Degree of Music in vocal performance from Seoul National University, and a graduate certificate from Opera Institute of Boston University. Recently, Mr. Son made his debut as the title role in Don Giovanni at Estete Theater in Prague.

dots is a multi-disciplinary design collective creating environments for theater, film, commercials, and immersive experiences. Hailing from Colombia, South Africa, and Japan, they are Santiago Orjuela-Laverde, Andrew Moerdyk, and Kimie Nishikawa. As collaborators, they believe that the whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts. Recent credits include Madame Butterfly (Cincinnati Opera), The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window (Broadway: James Earl Jones Theater; BAM), Dark Disabled Stories (The Public Theater), Public Obscenities (Soho Rep, NAATCO, Drama Desk nomination), Kate Berlant is KATE (Connelly Theater), and You Will Get Sick (Roundabout Theater, Lucille Lortel nomination). www.designbydots.com. 

Maiko has been designing for theatre, dance, opera and film in NY and regional theatres. Most recently her designs have been seen at The Wilma Theater, My Wonderful Day, Proliferation of the Imagination, and The Understudy. Her other recent designs include Twelfth Night (Pig Iron Theater Company) in 2011, Takes (Nichole Canuso Dance Company), Chicken (Charlotte Ford) in 2010 at Philadelphia Live Arts Festival, THIS (Playwrights Horizons, NY), Rescue Me (Ohio Theatre, NY), Enjoy (59E59, NY) Welcome to Yuba City (Pig Iron Theatre Company, PA), More (Headlong Dance Theatre) The Children of Vonderly (Classic Stage Company, NY) Adding Machine, Suitcase, or those that resemble flies from a distance (La Jolla Playhouse, CA), Brooklyn Bridge (Children’s Theatre Company, MN) Bomb-itty of Errors (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, MO), So Close, Year of the baby, Cat’s Paw (Soho Rep., NY) El Paso Blue (Theatre Row, NY), We Sink As We Run (Dixon Place, NY), and many others. She also has worked as an associate costume designer on Broadway productions such as Spring Awakening, Radio Golf, Lestat, Assassins, Good Body and Pacific Overtures, and Wicked in Japan.

Yuki Nakase Link is a Lighting Designer.  Previously designed with Matthew Ozawa: Orpehus and Eurydice (San Francisco Opera), and previously designed with Yuval Sharon: L'Orfeo (Santa Fe Opera). Recent and Upcoming include: EUROPERAS: 3 & 4 (Detroit Opera); Angel Island (BAM/ Beth Morrison Projects); Émigré (New York Philharmonic); Fidelio (Canadian Opera Company); VALIS (MIT Center for Art, Science & Technology); Proving Up (Juilliard Opera); In a Grove (Pittsburgh Opera); Blood Moon (Baruch Performing Arts Center/PROTOTYPE).  She was born in Tokyo, grew up in Kyoto, Japan and currently lives north of NYC in the woods of Hudson Valley.  M.F.A.: NYU. Website: yukinlink.com